Tragedy of the Commons
by AhmetOzgean
Summary: This is the story of the animals that live in the Forest of Silentium, and how their lives were changed by one peculiar wolf.
Rise oh moon for it is time for the wolf to howl.

Time for the sky to be filled with his mournful song.

The wolf is awake, roaming and longing for your light to show him the path.

\- Infant Pheonix

Far away from your town, far away in a green gown. It used to hide innocence and acceptance beneath the sign reading 'Forest of Silentium.' Nowadays, the land constantly struggles for balance. Let me tell you a tale about the lives that were permanently changed by one animal.

Most of the days were the same in the forest. Small rays of light and heat escaped through the leaves of the trees dressed in moss and birds sang songs to the light-blue sky with next to no clouds. The wind gently blew, commanding the grass to move left and right, and front and back.

Animals played in the trees and in the grass that surrounded their homeland. A squirrel happily chased butterflies while avoiding the curled up hedgehogs. The grass snake would speak just to see how the wood mice and rabbits ran away from him. Alongside them was, as always, the green lizard, anxious to show them who was the fastest runner. The sparrows, lapwings and woodpeckers danced and sang, switching from branch to branch, from tree to tree. The boars tried to seduce a cunning red fox and no matter how many times they got rejected, they kept their high hopes.

There were some days when the clouds gathered on the sky and shed tears upon the land. Its vegetation would release a strong scent in the air, geosmin to be precise, and accept the offerings from above. Some animals retreated under an old oak tree or in their nests. Others hid in underground burrows. From out of nowhere, snails, as slow as they were, moved around the forest. The grass snake slid around them in circles - that being his only time to play with the spineless creatures. The grass disturbed by him was the only thing audible next to the sound of raindrops falling on the ground. Once it had stopped raining, a few animals returned to their activities. They were the ones that haven't already fallen asleep due to the weather. The birds were surely to stay in their nests.

All the animals lived in harmony. No one judged another just from their aspect or behavior. They all believed in equal treatment among each other, whether it was about the smartest or the dumbest, the strongest or the weakest... until one night.

Everything was engulfed in a dense fog. The full moon managed to pierce through with fragments of light beams. Nocturnal beasts crawled from their sleeping state. Hedgehogs were more active that time of the day. They grew more courageous to explore the land. Bats flapped their little wings in their search for food. Insects enchanted the forest with their serenades. Owls flew and sat on the branches of the old oak tree.

Out of nowhere, a grey wolf crawled from its burrow. He climbed up on the tree and released a howl, resonating in every corner of the forest. The owls screeched and flew away from the oak tree, except for one. One bird was unable to flap its right wing as it was wounded. The wolf picked up its scent and climbed further up the tree, reaching it. His eyes turned crimson before he ate the bird without any struggle. The wolf then released another howl, resonating faster throughout the forest. Some may say it met the noise he made not long ago.

The hedgehogs were too scared to move and instead curled up in their defensive form. One of them was so clumsy and hasty, he wounded himself. The wolf picked up its scent, descended from the tree and sprinted towards the hedgehog. His eyes turned crimson and he spoke the following:

"Imperfect... Thou shall be cleansed." In his last living moments, the hedgehog watched as the wolf stood mighty and enigmatic in front of him, surrounded by the fog and his fellow hedgehogs curled up in fear. He heard his growling and saw his wide open mouth approach him, an overwhelming breath gushing from inside it. The hedgehog felt no pain.

The following day, the animals followed their regular routine. During daytime, hedgehogs aren't too active, but that day was different. Neither moved. Every one stood completely still, as if made of stone. So much the scare they got at night. In the meantime, the wolf patrolled throughout the forest in search of his next judgment.

'Hey, check it out. We got a new fur around here' said a sparrow to another, both watching from above, '... And how beautiful it is.'

'Let's go and tell the others. We should all give him/her a nice greeting.' The other sparrow replied. The two birds flew towards a group of animals that was playing.

'Hey guys! We have another fur in the forest! It's a wolf! It's beautiful!' One of them said.

'We saw a grey wolf walking around the forest. He or she must be new here. Let's greet the fur. It should reach this place soon.' The other continued.

'Another playmate? Yey!' The squirrel shouted, jumping in the air.

"Did you hear that, sweetie? Now there will be two of you for my heart. You better step up your game," said a boar to the red fox.

'I'm not your sweetie. How many times do you need to hear that, you ugly pig? And I'm not the same as a wolf. This is my first time meeting one, now that I think about it...' She replied.

'That's what your mouth says, but I'm sure deep inside you actually have a crush on me. You just don't know how to express it.'

While the animals were discussing about him, the wolf approached them. He heard the words addressed by the boar to the fox and his eyes turned crimson. He sprinted to the group. No one heard or saw him until he had stopped with his fangs in the boar's neck. His victim had no time to react. Another dead animal! The others looked surprised at the wolf. Several seconds had to pass in order for them to understand what had happened, and it was still hard to believe. Before even greeting the new animal, he killed one of them for no reason. The wolf glanced around the surrounding in a calm manner.

'Thou shall seek only thy kind. Imperfect beings shall be cleansed. No exceptions.' He said.

'W-what are you talking about? You killed... the boar... You killed him!' finally replied the squirrel, still engulfed in fear and confusion, 'He was one of us... our f-friend. And you killed him! M-murderer!'

'Do apologize right now, mongrel. All I did was cleanse him... and soon thou shall follow if not careful' Said the wolf, maintaining his quiescent stare.

'I'm not apologizing to a monster, n-' Not wanting to let the squirrel finish his saying, the wolf's eyes turned crimson and he pounced on the animal, tearing him limb from limb. He then turned his sight to the rest of the group. His muzzle stained with blood.

'Anyone else cares to say the same? Do you think I am wrong? DO YOU?' He growled before continuing his saying. 'No imperfection deserves to be left uncleansed and exceptions shall NOT be made. Defiance will only prove your lack of perfection, mongrels. Thou have been warned.'

Many animals were scared of the wolf. Some dared to oppose him despite of witnessing his cold executions. They followed the same path as the victims. The wolf slowly became the prosecutor, the attorney and the judge in the Forest of Silentium.

There was one peculiar thing about him though. After some time, his tail was missing. Subsequently, his right leg disappeared, followed by his left one. By then, the animals divided themselves in two major groups: the ones who followed the wolf's moral code and the ones who disagreed with it, but were too scared to say it openly.

'H-have you seen the fur? He walks on two legs now... It's very scary' said a woodpecker to his fellow lapwing.

'I shiver every time I see him.' Answered the bird, watching the wolf from above.  
'Don't you think it's weird how he talks about "cleansing the imperfect", yet he dares to walk around like that? He should leave... Or even better, kill himself.'

'But he looks so majestic, patrolling the forest like no other being ever did... and he is so wise.' The lapwing replied, not breaking his sight of the animal.  
'Whatever...' said the woodpecker after a brief second while delving in its thought. On the ground, similar discussions occurred between the other animals.

The wolf continued to spread his judgment regardless of their opinions. Kill after kill; he eventually was left with only half of his body. It didn't stop there. His other two members disappeared. There was barely anything left of the wolf by the time he found out he could no longer patrol the forest.

By that time, some of the animals were scarcely leaving their burrows or nests. They conserved their fear of the mighty being. Others were decisive to sacrifice one of them to the wolf to show their gratitude for his doing. The red fox tricked one boar into joining their group for a walk. As soon as they got to the wolf, the green snake clasped the boar. The latter struggled to break free from the snake's grip, but it surpassed his strength. Two sparrows, a woodpecker and a lapwing flew alongside them.

The animals saw what had remained of the wolf: his head and a small part of his body.  
'Oh mighty being, you have decayed so low. But don't worry, we will help you regain your strength' said one of them. The snake crushed the boar's body and placed him on the wolf's wide open mouth.  
'For the perfect forest! For the perfect forest!' The animals cheered as the wolf's eyes turned crimson. He ate their offering.

'Thou need me not. Goodbye, mongrels.' The wolf said. He then turned to stone. The animals watched amazed at the process.  
'H-he... He...' said the red fox, while approaching the stone, 'turned into a rock...'

It took some time for the animals to accept what happened, and when they did, they decided to continue living divided in two groups. From being one big family that believed in equal treatment among each other to two separated groups, one of predators and the other of diplomatists. The first vastly outnumbered the latter.

The grass snake started hunting and eating the wood mice and rabbits. The woodpecker drilled every tree in search for worms. The loyal lapwing built a nest on the ground, right next to the wolf-stone. And so on.

To this day, the forest remained unchanged. Some say whenever the wind blows in the Forest of Silentium, if you pay close attention to it, you will hear the wolf's voice. But who knows for sure? There is only one way to find out... I told you where the forest is.


End file.
